Kindling Flames: Burning Nights (The Ancient Fire Series Book 6)

by Julie Wetzel

  The curtain whispered shut behind the pair, but Vicky didn’t see it. She slowly wrapped her arms around her middle, trying to process what the queen had said. Of all the changes in her life, this was the most unexpected and shocking.

  “Wait, can vampires have children?” Maggie asked, finally finding her voice. She had been standing dumbfounded in the corner from the moment the fay queen had stepped into the room.

  “No,” Vicky whispered as she tried to figure out how this was possible. “At least he said he couldn’t.”

  “But didn’t Darien lose his powers and turn human for a while?” Vanessa asked as she came over and set the veil on the dressing table.

  “But he was still a vampire,” Vicky protested. “He shouldn’t have been able to have children.”

  “Well, either he was lying or someone obviously made a mistake.” Vanessa grinned at her excitedly. “Twins!”

  “What are you girls doing in here and why didn’t you invite me?” Beth asked as she and Ann came back through the curtain.

  Vicky lifted her eyes, and upon seeing her mother, burst into tears.

  “None of that now,” Ann said as she handed her flowers to Beth and came over to her daughter. Pulling Vicky against her side, she held her daughter as she cried. “I see you found a veil.” She pushed the delicate material back from Vicky’s face, so she wouldn’t get it dirty. “And wings?” she said, confused by the change to her daughter. Ann pushed the new additions from her mind as Vicky sobbed harder. There would be time enough for an explanation once she was calm again.

  “We had a visit from the fairy queen,” Vanessa explained as she took the flowers from Beth to set them on the table next to the unused veil.

  “Fairy queen?” Beth asked, looking back at the part in the curtain and remembering the beautiful woman that they had passed on the way in. “The fairies have a queen?” she marveled.

  Vanessa nodded, at a loss for words to describe the woman who had just left.

  “Who was the naked beefcake with her?”

  “Zak,” Maggie answered.

  Beth whipped back around to stare at Maggie in shock. “Zak?”

  Maggie nodded.

  “As in the-little-ball-of-tentacles-that-eats-things Zak?” Beth asked trying to comprehend how the well-built man could have been the little hellhound.

  Maggie giggled. “That would be him.”

  “Damn.” Beth looked back at the curtain, envisioning the smooth planes of his well-toned body. “If I knew he could do that, I’d let him in my bed, too.”

  “He can’t.” Vicky wiped her eyes as she got herself back under control. “It’s something Lady Aine did so he could walk me down the aisle.”

  “That was sweet of her.” Ann smiled at her daughter, trying to be the rock that Vicky needed. Later, there would be plenty of time to freak out over the change in her reality. Right now, there were more important things to worry about, like getting Vicky ready for her wedding.

  “Now let’s get you fixed back up,” Ann said as she took a tissue from the table and rolled it up. “It’s a good thing you don’t need much makeup; this shouldn’t take any time at all.” She carefully ran the soft paper under Vicky’s eyes, removing the smeared mascara.

  “That’s not the only thing Lady Aine did.” Vanessa grinned as she turned around to get into Vicky’s makeup bag. “Our girl here is preggers.”

  Ann’s hand stilled on Vicky’s face as she considered her daughter. “Pregnant?” she asked.

  Vicky hung her head and nodded.

  Ann gave her a measured look. “Is it Darien’s?”

  “Of course it’s Darien’s!” Vicky snapped as she turned away from her mother and looked in the mirror on her dressing table. “Who else’s would it be?” she said angrily. Grabbing up another tissue, she scrubbed at her ruined makeup.

  Ann sat down next to her daughter and took the tissue from her hand before she could hurt herself with it. “Sweetheart,” she said in a soothing voice, “you have to admit, it is kind of surprising, with him being a…” Ann’s words stalled.

  “A vampire.” Vicky gave her mother a pointed look, filling in the lacking words. “You can say it.”

  “I know, dear,” Ann said in that tone all mothers get when their children have done something exasperating. “It’s just taking me a minute to get used to the idea that my soon-to-be son-in-law is undead.”

  “Why?” Vicky asked as she took the tissue back from her mother and rubbed away the mascara more gently. “You were planning on marrying a vampire,” she snapped angrily.

  Ann sighed. “I know, and let’s not get into that argument again, okay?”

  “Okay.” Vicky leaned over, accepting her mother’s hug and letting her anger go. Straightening up, she looked at herself in the mirror. “I really am a mess.” She said in a regretful tone. Her bout of crying had smeared most of her eye makeup away.

  “It’s not so bad.” Ann turned her daughter in her chair so she could fully see her face. “Just a little touch here.” She took the eyeliner from Vanessa and filled in what was missing on Vicky’s face. “And a little bit there.” With a flourish, she had the eye shadow fixed. “Good as new.” She pulled the mascara wand over Vicky’s eyelashes, removing all traces of the tears Vicky had been in. “You look lovely,” she said as Vicky turned to admire her mother’s handiwork.

  “Thanks, Mom.” Vicky gave her mother another hug. She didn’t know if she could have made it through the day without her mother’s loving support.

  “So,” Ann said as she tucked the pieces back in Vicky’s makeup bag. “Pregnant?” This time her voice sounded more enthusiastic.

  Vicky sighed and nodded her head.

  “Twins,” Vanessa added from where she stood, watching the pair.

  “Twins!” Ann’s face lit up with joy. “Twins?” she asked, looking over at Vicky, hoping it would be true.

  Vicky nodded her head again. “That’s what Lady Aine said.”

  “This is fantastic!”‘ Ann gushed happily. Pausing, she thought it over for a moment. She took ahold of Vicky’s forearm, drawing her daughter’s attention to her. “Oh, but you can’t tell Darien!”

  “What?” Vicky turned and stared at her mother in disbelief. “I have to tell him.”

  Ann shook her head, seeing her daughter misunderstood. “That’s not what I meant. Of course you have to tell him, but don’t tell him until after the wedding.”

  Confused, Vicky considered her mother’s words.

  “Could you imagine what he would do if you walked up and told him you were pregnant in front of everyone?” Ann asked, imagining Darien’s reaction to such news.

  Grinning, Vicky thought about it. “He might just pass out.” She could see the prospect of children being too much for him. He had already spent the last few days wired about the upcoming nuptials, this might be just enough to shut his brain down for a while.

  Beth giggled, imagining Darien crumpled in front of the altar. “Girl, you might just knock him out by walking in the room.”

  Vicky turned to look up at her friend.

  “You should have seen the way he was pacing when we went to get the flowers.”

  Ann nodded. “It’s true. He did look a little high-strung.”

  Vicky gave her a worried look and went to stand up.

  Maggie placed her hand on Vicky’s shoulder, holding the bride down. “Relax,” she said. “He’ll be fine.”

  Looking up at her friend, Vicky nodded and stayed in her seat. There was really nothing she could do for him anyway. She reached out to check on him, but came up short. She could still feel him there, but it was as if someone had placed a thin film between them, blocking their connection.

  “It’s almost time anyway,” Vanessa added, pulling Vicky from her thoughts.

  As if her words had summoned him, Josh pushed into the room and cleared his throat, drawing the girls’ attention. “Mrs. Westernly.” His eyes brushed over the ladies, finding the one he wanted.
“It’s time to take your seat so we can get started.”

  Ann smiled at him. “Thank you.” She turned to look at her daughter. “I love you, darling. You look beautiful.” She hugged Vicky one last time. “Remember, don’t tell him until afterwards.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Vicky smiled and let her hands slip down over her stomach. “I won’t.” She let the issue with their link go for now. She would see him in a few minutes, and if the problem persisted, he would know what to do.

  Ann nodded and went to Josh. She looked over his jeans and T-shirt confused. “Where’s your tux?”

  Josh just shrugged and grinned. “When the queen of the fay tells you to strip, you strip.” He escorted her to the part in the curtain where his brother was waiting, still dressed in his tuxedo. “Jakob will take you to your seat.”

  “Thank you.” Ann smiled and took Jakob’s arm. She shot a smile back to Vicky. “Twins! I’m so excited!”

  Vicky laughed at the confused look that crossed the vampires’ faces.

  Letting the comment go, Jakob led Ann away.

  “What was that about?” Josh asked as he came back over to help Vicky finish getting ready.

  Smiling, Vicky shook her head, not wanting to share the information yet.

  “You’ll find out in seven or eight months,” Vanessa teased, drawing a giggle out of Maggie and Beth.

  Glancing between the women, Josh gave up trying to understand their inside joke. “Then, if you’re ready?” He lifted up the box that held the ladies’ bouquets.

  “Yes,” Vicky agreed and stood up. The girls buzzed around her, fixing her dress and veil so they hung correctly.

  “Oh!” Josh dropped the box to the table. “Lady Aine gave me this to give to you.” He gingerly worked a wad of blue cloth out of his pocket and held it out to her as lightly as he could without dropping it. “Sorry, but I can’t…” His smile turned a little pained.

  “What is it?” Vicky took the cloth and opened it. Inside, wrought in silver, was a perfect rendition of the cross on Darien’s wall. Only this one had two tiny diamonds set in the center.

  “She said you would understand.” Josh shrugged.

  A tear formed at the corner of Vicky’s eye and she pulled the confused man in for a hug. “Thank you.” She sniffed, trying not to cry again.

  Josh wrapped his arm around her and patted her on the back, careful not to touch her wings. “Anytime.”

  Releasing him, Vicky turned to Vanessa. “Could you?” She held the cross out for her friend.

  “Of course.” Vanessa took the new necklace and hooked it around Vicky’s neck. Pulling off the emerald and diamond necklace Vicky had been wearing, she tucked it away in the box it had come in. “There.” She turned to look at Vicky. “It’s beautiful.”

  “And it will keep a lot of people from hugging you tonight.” Josh grinned as he stood back, eyeing the cross. “That thing has quite a punch to it.”

  Vicky reached up and touched the cool metal. “Then I should probably keep this.” She tucked the blue cloth into the top of her bodice where she could get at it easily. “I needed something blue anyway.”

  Laughing, Josh picked up the box of flowers and headed towards the part in the curtain. “Shall we, then?” He pulled the curtain back so the ladies could step through. The girls muttered their agreement and headed out.

  Following the narrow hall, they came to the staging area just outside the main room. The noise from the excited guests filtered through the thick curtain. As soon as Vicky came in, Zak—dressed in Josh’s borrowed tuxedo—popped up from where he’d been sitting on the floor.

  “Oh, Zak.” Vicky grinned at the excited hellhound as he caught her up in a warm hug. She petted him soothingly.

  “At least I know my tux was put to good use,” Josh smirked as he sat the box of flowers on the floor. Pulling out the bouquets, he passed them out to the waiting ladies. “Is that really Zak?” he asked, eyeing the man Vicky was disentangling herself from.

  “Yes.” Vicky pushed Zak back so she could look at him. “Stand up straight,” she chided the fay.

  Zak stopped trying to snuggle against her and stood up. Josh’s tux was just about the right size for the changed fay.

  “You look very nice.” Vicky complemented the hellhound as she reached out and buttoned his dark green vest. “Just this and you’ll be perfect.” She straightened his tie and glanced at the mop of hair on Zak’s head. Lacking a comb, Vicky ran her hands through it, attempting to straighten the mess into something more acceptable. The ends of the hair bent around her fingers as she passed. “Oh, Zak.” She shook her head at the way the hair curled back up into a mess again. Letting out a resigned breath, she left it alone.

  Josh sorted the women into order and made sure they had everything they needed. When the first chords of music wafted in, he pulled the curtain back so the bridesmaids could lead the way out. “Good luck, My Lady.” He straightened the edge of Vicky’s veil as she awaited her turn.

  Zak growled at him lightly.

  Vicky grinned at the pair. “Thank you, Josh.” She touched his arm, showing her gratitude.

  Josh smiled and bowed to her. “Anytime, My Lady.”

  As the main theme boomed out, she turned and let Zak escort her out to her future.

  ***

  Darien paced in front of the crowd gathered for his wedding. There was an amazing turnout, and the room was filled with all kinds of creatures. Since Vicky had informed her friends of the paranormal world, he had allowed Elliot and Vanessa to open the guest list to anyone that wanted to come. With an open invitation, the massive warehouse was packed.

  Scanning the room, Darien’s eyes caught Beth and Ann stealing flowers from the banquet tables. Worry shot through him. He reached out to check on Vicky, but came up against the block Elliot had put on him. A simple push would have torn through the thin veil of magic, but Darien had promised, on this one occasion, to leave Vicky alone.

  Elliot reached out and touched Darien’s arm, drawing his attention away from the bridesmaid and mother of the bride. “She’s fine.” He reassured Darien.

  Darien let out a deep sigh and turned so he wasn’t watching the people milling around. “Are you sure?” he asked, worried. Darien’s mind turned over the last few weeks. The stress of the upcoming wedding had taken its toll on Vicky. Her stomach had been troubling her, and she seemed to be a bit more on edge than normal. She had gotten to the point where she was snapping at everything lately. Hopefully, a nice vacation would soothe her frayed nerves.

  “I’m sure,” Elliot reassured him. “Josh and Jakob are keeping an eye on her.”

  Throwing his hand out behind him, Darien pointed to the crowd that the twin vampires were moving through. “How can they be watching her if they’re in here?” The boys were two of many ushers that Elliot and Vanessa had picked.

  Elliot held his hands out, trying to calm Darien down. “They know how to multitask.” He soothed the nervous man. “And she has Zak and her bridesmaids. That’s what they’re there for.”

  Darien growled at his best man and took another turn of the front of the crowd. “I don’t see why you won’t let me reach her,” he complained.

  “We had this discussion.” Elliot’s voice held a pacifying note. “She needs a little time to herself before the wedding and you were too wrapped up in her thoughts last night.” The younger vampire has stepped in at Darien’s bachelor party when the groom had spent too much time fretting over Vicky spending the night alone and not enough time enjoying the fay strippers Patrick had managed to procure. Elliot had put a block on their link so the two wouldn’t feed off each other’s anxiety over the day. It hadn’t really done Darien any good, but he was sure that Vicky appreciated not having the added stress rolling off Darien running through her system.

  “What if she needs me?” Darien snapped as he stormed past Elliot.

  Elliot just shook his head. “She’s only in the other room. If she needs you, she’ll find you. Just
relax; this is supposed to be a happy day.”

  “I’ll be happy when this is over,” Darien growled. He silently cursed himself for not making Vicky elope.

  “A little worked up, are we?” Rupert grinned as he watched Darien’s pacing.

  Darien glared at the werewolf as he passed.

  “Just a bit.” Elliot returned the wolf’s grin. “But he’ll get over it.”

  Darien glared at Elliot as he headed the other way.

  Elliot reached out and took Rupert’s hand for a shake. “Thanks for doing this.”

  “Who else would you get to marry this one off?” Rupert jabbed his thumb at Darien and smirked. “It’s not like you could get a real priest up here in front of this crowd.” He looked out over the collection of werewolves, vampires, and fay.

  “Thank you anyway,” Elliot said. He knew that Rupert had been having some issues with his pack, so the fact that the alpha had taken time out to officiate meant a lot to both him and Darien, even if the older vampire was too worked up to appreciate it at the moment.

  “Is it time yet?” Darien snapped as he walked past them again.

  Elliot reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders. “Sit!” He maneuvered Darien into a chair and forced the man down. “You are going to wear out the floor.”

  Darien grumbled but sat in the chair. Both of his feet tapped out an uneven rhythm.

  “Maybe we can ask Dakine for something to help him relax,” Rupert whispered to Elliot as he watched Darien fidget in the chair.

  “It would take knocking him out to get him to calm down,” Elliot replied.

  “So… a bat?” Rupert grinned.

  “I can hear you,” Darien growled making the two men laugh.

  “Just relax,” Elliot said. “It’s almost time.”

  Darien let out a suffering sigh and tilted his head back to watch the lesser fay flying around the ceiling. Drawing in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and forced his muscles to go limp. He needed to find a way to relax before his nerves and emotions shorted out his system. Goodness knows he didn’t need to pass out at his own wedding. It was an unlikely chance, but not impossible.